Ivan does not answer.Instead he kneels before her on one knee.Chalyela gasps in surprise.

Ivan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring.Chalyela is bursting with excitement.

“Would you, my queen…do me the honor of being my wife?”Chalyela can barely see the ring through her tears.

Chalyela picks the rings up from Ivan’s hands.“Of course I will marry you,” she says.

Ivan places the ring on her finger.Chalyela stares and stares, still not fully understanding that she and Ivan are now betrothed.

She pulls him close and sobs into his shoulder.

Ivan holds her close, so happy that he is finally in the position to marry his queen.

Chalyela has to physically calm herself.She can barely speak and her eyes keep threatening to tear up. Her smile is so wide that her cheeks hurt.

Ivan excuses himself, “I have something that I must take care of ,” he says before walking away.

Chalyela happily walks away to find someone to announce her betrothal to.Ivan recounts in his head the miracle that allowed him to catch the mysterious lobster.

Kenna cannot believe that Ivan has caught the lobster that she has only heard about in tales.“But how did you do it?”She asks.

Ivan begins with the instructions from Marlon and tells of his state of weariness as he collapsed on the beach.He continues, “so there I was, sure that the tides would drown me, barely holding onto my pole.Suddenly I feel a tug on my pole.Logically the pole should have been pulled from my hands, but the tug was hard enough to wake me, but gentle enough not to cause me to lose it.I woke up and the lobster was just there on the beach, still attached to my fishing line.”

Ivan’s tale is barely believable, but Kenna has no choice but believe it after she has seen the lobster.“Now you know that a lobster is not technically a fish, but I will let it slide,” she says teasing him.

Ivanis not bothered by her teasing.He has won the competition and is betrothed to the queen.He could not be happier.

“Name’s Percival Payne,” the merchant says introducing himself. “I may be able to help you with that later, but seeing as there is no blacksmith here in town, I may have to have adequate weaponry imported.”

“I see. How long do you think it would take to get something in?”

“I tell you what, Sir Ivan. I will do my best to get something in before the week is out.” Percival promises.

“Good man,” Ivan says in response.

Ivan takes a look around Percival’s other goods. He sees a few trinkets and possible gifts for the queen, but nothing that he could use.

He takes a look at the shields that Percival has in stock and sees that they may be adequate for an amateur, but would be no good for his own purposes.

Checking out Percival’s other goods, I van decides to purchase some fowl for a stew.

Ivan is beginning to feel hungry and his focus is faltering. He decides to complete some of his duties before he loses the ability to get anything done.

First he walks to the forest and patrols the clearing.

He patrols for as long as he can, but it does not take long before his growling stomach begins to get to him. His energy is practically drained from his swordfight earlier. He would love more than anything to cook up his fowl and rest.

Ivan walks to the docks to do some sea patrolling. At least while out at sea, he won’t have to do any walking around.

He boards the ship and waits for his crew to join him.

After the crew boards, the ship pulls from the docks, just as the sun begins to set.

The ships takes its usual patrol route. Ivan looks for any unidentified or unauthorized ships.

The sun has almost completely disappeared by the time Ivan and his crew begins to head back to the dock.

Ivan can barely stand by the time Archolia is back within view. The ship slowly pulls up to the dock.

Ivan leaves the ship, happy to know that there is no threat of any sea attacks, but is so weak and tired that he is unsure whether he even wants to attempt any fishing tonight.